William Grant & Sons Wins Director's Award at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

NEW YORK, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  Independent family distiller William Grant & Sons has been presented with the Director's Award at the highly regarded 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The competition's esteemed judging panel, led by Executive Director Anthony Dias Blue, has recognized William Grant & Sons for their extensive, super premium quality spirits portfolio, further solidifying the company's reputation as one of the most pioneering distillers in the spirits industry.

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The San Francisco World Spirits competition is the first comprehensive international spirits competition to be held in the United States and counts some of the most respected names in the industry among its judges. At this year's competition, the William Grant & Sons portfolio swept the board, winning the coveted Director's Award as well as 10 Double Gold Medals, awarded for The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Tun 1401 Batch 3, The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood, The Balvenie 17 Year Old Peated Cask, The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel, Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Hendrick's Gin, Milagro Unico Tequila, Stolichnaya Razberi, Stolichnaya Blueberi and Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Reserve Blend Irish Whiskey. Further, the pioneering distiller received 6 Gold Medals and 20 Silver Medals across its unparalleled portfolio.

"Receiving the Director's Award at this year's San Francisco World Spirits Competition is an incredible honor for our organization on all levels," said Simon Hunt, President and Managing Director – North America, William Grant & Sons. "At William Grant & Sons, we pride ourselves on the quality in every bottle of our super premium spirits. Recognition such as this, where our portfolio continues to prove itself among the industry's most reputable judges and spirits experts, well, it is very humbling and very appreciated."

The impressive haul of awards continues a very successful year for William Grant & Sons.  In addition to the company's recent spate of awards at New York's Ultimate Spirits Competition, William Grant & Sons has been named "Distiller of the Year" at the International Spirits Challenge and International Wine & Spirits Competition an unprecedented nine times in the past 12 years.

The full list of William Grant & Sons' awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is included below.  For more information on William Grant & Sons, please visit www.grantusa.com.

2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Results

Art In The Age
Silver Medal, Art in the Age Root Liqueur

The Balvenie
Double Gold Medal, The Balvenie Single Malt Scotch Tun 1401, Batch 3
Double Gold Medal, The Balvenie 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Portwood
Double Gold Medal, The Balvenie 17 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Peated Cask
Double Gold Medal, The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Single Barrel
Gold Medal, The Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Double, Single Barrel
Silver Medal, The Balvenie 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch, Caribbean Cask

BOLS
Gold Medal, Bols Creme de White Cacao
Silver Medal, Bols Creme de Dark Cacao
Silver Medal, Bols Peach Brandy
Bronze Medal, Bols Creme de Cassis

Gibson's Finest
Bronze Medal, Gibson's Finest Sterling Edition Canadian Whisky

Glenfiddich
Double Gold Medal, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch, Cask of Dreams
Gold Medal, Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Gold Medal, Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Silver Medal, Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Silver Medal, Glenfiddich 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

Grant's
Silver Medal, Grant's Family Reserve

Hendrick's
Double Gold Medal, Hendrick's Gin

Hudson
Silver Medal, Hudson Single Malt
Silver Medal, Hudson Manhattan Rye
Silver Medal, Hudson Corn Whiskey
Bronze Medal, Hudson Baby Bourbon
Bronze Medal, Hudson Four Grain Bourbon

The Knot
Silver Medal, The Knot Liqueur, Ireland

Lillet
Bronze Medal, Lillet Blanc

Milagro
Double Gold Medal, Milagro Unico Tequila
Silver Medal, Milagro Silver Tequila
Silver Medal, Milagro Reposado Tequila
Silver Medal, Milagro Anejo Tequila
Silver Medal, Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Silver Tequila
Silver Medal, Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Anejo Tequila
Bronze Medal, Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado Tequila

Monkey Shoulder
Silver Medal, Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch

Sailor Jerry
Bronze Medal, Sailor Jerry Rum

Solerno
Bronze Medal, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

Stolichnaya
Double Gold Medal, Stolichnaya® Razberi™ Vodka
Double Gold Medal, Stolichnaya® Blueberi™ Vodka
Silver Medal, Stolichnaya® Premium Vodka
Silver Medal, Stolichnaya® Chocolat Razberi™ Vodka
Bronze Medal, Stolichnaya® Ohranj™ Vodka
Bronze Medal, Stolichnaya® Gala Applik™ Vodka
Bronze Medal, Stolichnaya® Vanil™ Vodka
Bronze Medal, Stolichnaya® Peachik™ Vodka
Bronze Medal, Stolichnaya® Citros™ Vodka

Tullamore Dew
Double Gold Medal, Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Reserve Blended Irish Whiskey
Gold Medal, Tullamore Dew 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Gold Medal, Tullamore Dew 12 Year Old Reserve Blended Irish Whiskey
Silver Medal, Tullamore Dew Blended Irish Whiskey

About William Grant & Sons
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distills some of the world's leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world's most awarded single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world's fourth largest blended Scotch Grant's® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick's® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and the award-winning Milagro® Tequila.

Among the most recent accolades for the well-awarded company, William Grant & Sons was honored as the "Distiller of the Year" by the International Wine & Spirit Competition for the second year running and the fourth time since 1999. When counted along with the same designation from the International Spirits Challenge, William Grant & Sons has received this title an unprecedented nine times in the past 12 years.

Founded in 1964, William Grant & Sons USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of William Grant & Sons, Ltd. and features one of the fastest growing spirits portfolios in the USA with brands including Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Hendrick's Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey, Milagro Tequila, Stolichnaya Vodka, Grant's, Hudson Whiskey, Gibson's Finest, Monkey Shoulder, Clan MacGregor, Reyka Vodka, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, Lillet, Licor 43, Art In The Age, The Knot and BOLS cordials. The company has offices in New York City (sales and marketing) and Edison, NJ (bottling and warehouse facilities). For more information on the company and its brands, please visit www.grantusa.com.

SOURCE William Grant & Sons